Cure Or Curse?
by KandyJC3
Summary: The truth may be harder to deal with then one thinks. What seems to be and what actually is may be entirly different. Secrets are kept to protect her. Is there truely a cure for the This?
1. Chapter 1

"Here it is, but do you think it's the right one

"Here it is, but do you think it's the right one?" Soul turned to his dirty blonde haired partner, a rare herb in hand.

"Chrona did say this one when I asked her the other day," Maka pointed to the picture in the book she held in her hands, covered by dark blue mittens. A big puffy cream colored jacket protected her from the blowing snow that surrounded her. How such an odd plant could grow in this weather was beyond her imagination.

"Ok, well down the hatch" Soul chomped down on the wild green plant that grew in such a desolate place.

A few days later they arrived back at Shibusen with high heads and shoulders. After ignoring what the adults told them and headed off in such of this herb they had indeed cured Soul of the black blood, and they even brought one back for Chrona as well.

As they walked into the classroom, Black Star and Tsubaki met them. "So where have you two been" Black star nudged his good friend with his elbow.

Without saying a word, Soul removed a bandage from his hand, on the back was red dried blood. He then left a dumbfounded Black star with a giggling Tsubaki as he took his partners hand and lead her to her seat, a wide crooked grin on his face.

Maka took her seat as Kid and the Thompson sisters entered the classroom just as the bell rang. Stein rolled in a few minutes late, and the whole class was buzzing about Soul and Maka being miracle workers, they in turn gave credit to Chrona who was hiding under her desk from lack of understanding to do in said situation.

This undue attention made Stein's brow raise and he called the pair to the front of the class. "What's going on, did you two do something during your training that you didn't report to Shinigama-sama?" Stein raised an eyebrow and the fidgeting teens. After about a minute, Soul thought 'ah just screw it, its done, might as well fess up.' He turned his arm into a blade and lightly ran it across his finger. Bright red liquid oozed from the slit on one of his digits. Silence engulfed the room; all that was heard was the sound of the sizzling cigarette hitting the stone cold tile of the classroom.

Mouth agape, Stein grabbed soul by his arm and kicked his chair back as hard as he could causing it to fly towards the door. Soul was flapping around like a fish out of water; hanging on for dear life to Stein's arm as said professor called out "Class is canceled for today," only to have his chair give way which sent both Soul and Stein shooting down the hall of Shibusen.

However, Stein ignored this fact, and even left the chair as he stormed the halls trying to find the quickest way to the infirmary.

As fast as she could, Maka packed up her and Soul's belongings and rushed to track down Stein. When she finally found them in the infirmary soul was sitting on an examination table without a shirt. No matter how many times she said that scar didn't bug her anymore it was a lie. She knew the story, but always felt a pain in her heart for not being able to react.

Slowly stepping into the room to make her presence known to Soul and Stein, Maka cautiously placed their things on a chair and walked over to Soul.

Placing her hand on his shoulder she asked, " Soul, are you really alright?" Leaning a little closer and lightly giggling she whispered "did you see the look on Stein's face when he saw the blood, priceless."

Soul flashed one of his "cool" grins as he nodded. Stein rolled his eyes as he had heard the whole conversation and continued to work on the blood samples that he had taken from Soul earlier on to compare with the new ones he got today.

Pushing his chair to the file cabinet he explained "Nothing will be known till at least late tomorrow night, so you two can go home if you would like. If you samples come out in a positive way you might have found a way to defeat this horrible nuisance that's plagued us for the last several years." Stein smiled as warmly as he could muster before motioning for them to leave.

As the door clicked quietly behind him, Stein slid the slide under the microscope and spent several intense hours researching every last bit of the samples. It took several sleepless hours, nothing could pull him from his examination. Many like Spirit had tried, but once they had had their fill of being ignored they went looking for someone else to bug (like Maka.)

However, on the other side of town the weapon and his meister had the rest of the day off to do as they pleased, since their sensei was busy running tests on said weapon's bright red blood. Not wishing to return to their apartment, they decided to go window shopping around the town. Maka wanted to pick up a new book she had ordered and Soul had nothing better to do. Although Black Star had invited him to train with him, he immediately refused, remembering the last time he agreed to such a feat. Lets just say it ended up with the two of them dangling from a broken suspended bridge because Black Star wanted to show off. Poor Tsubaki was stuck on the post that held said bridge for several hours as well.

Soul shook it off as they entered the bookstore. He casually wondered around browsing the titles of the manga shelves as Maka patiently awaited the book that would complete her favorite series.

"Here you are miss, enjoy and thanks again. Your one of our best and only customers" the store clerk chuckled. Maka smiled at the clerk then went to drag Soul out from behind his "book."

"Sorry for making you come with me," Maka fidgeted as she spoke. A bright smile appeared on her face as she lowered the manga from his, "How about I treat you to dinner for accompanying me." She smiled, her green eyes sparkled as his crimson ones met them. With a smirk he shrugged and replied, "if your paying I'm in."

Flipping through files, old reports, research data and anything else he could think of, Stein was merely on step away from the information he craved. It had been ten hours since he first embarked on his research, he began at nine that morning. Wishing not to be disturbed was but a fleeting dream around this place. And once again a knock came from the door.

"Ok what is it?!" He stomped over to the door to find Marie with a small bag in her hands and a concerned look. Stein rubbed the back of his head and bowed an apology to her.

"I was just making sure you had something to eat since I heard you locked the door several hours ago and no one had seen you since, but if your that busy I'll just leave this…" Stein stepped aside as soon as he took the bag from her. He had figured that there was enough food for the both of them, and overworking himself could potentially make him miss a very important detail.

As Stein ate his dinner Marie asked, "So what have you been working on in here this whole time that no one could disturb you? I don't even think Shinigami-sama knows what you're up to.

"I'm running some test on a subject I've had my eye on for a while now. Those are some of its blood samples, and it's changed for some reason."

Marie walked over to the microscope and placed her eye over the lens. "Where did you test subject come from? Because this parasite here is from my old region." Not knowing that she had just made a huge discovery for the case, but simply by stating this she instantly felt the warmth of a familiar body pressed against hers. It only lasted for about two seconds, for, with sushi in hand, Stein was back at his microscope and books full of parasites.

He studied it for about a minute, so Marie thought that it was best to leave, but before she could Stein caught her arm, "Tell me everything you know about this little guy."

"The wait is about an hour, is that alright" the hostess explain to the two teens as they entered the third restaurant they had attempted to eat at that night. With a sigh they smiled and left.

"Maybe we should just grab a burger and watch a movie at home." Soul suggested. Maka wished that she could actually have a nice dinner for once with her partner, but at this point in time she was tired of searching for places to eat. She agreed to get the burgers if Soul picked up a movie.

But before he could reach his destination his head suddenly began to spin. He remained upright, and it only lasted for a few seconds, so he shrugged it off as mere hunger symptoms and continued to the rental house to pick up a horror movie.

When he reached the apartment he placed the movie in the dvd player and grabbed a soda from the fridge. As he plopped down on the couch the door opened and in walked a soaking wet Maka. With a slight chuckle Soul got up, grabbed a towel and threw it so it landed on her head.

With an unamused look she wrapped the towel around her shoulders and placed the bag on the coffee table. Maka grumbled while she went to her room to change into her pjs. Soul went back and threw on some dark grey sweatpants, but thought he didn't need to bother with a shirt, so he grabbed a blanket and went to sit on the couch.

When Maka finally decided to show herself in her bright pink pj bottoms that had little light blue cupcakes with cream colored frosting and a light yellow tank top to match, Soul had already started to eat without her.

Her hair was no longer tied up, and she had on fuzzy light blue slippers. She kicked them off and sat next to Soul, taking the bag from his lap and grabbing her cheeseburger. She clicked the remote and they sat in the dark, the only light was that which flickered from the screen.

Sometime during the movie Maka had ended up under Soul's blanket and her head was in his shoulder for the most part. However, Soul was not enjoying this as his stomach started turning. Indigestion was the cause of this, and nothing more. He did not wish to disturb his partner whose head now warmed his shoulder.

By the end of the movie Soul could no longer stay conscious, something had taken over and he had no will power to fight it off. Drowsiness consumed him as he collapsed slowly into Maka's lap. With a warm smile, unaware of the real turmoil he faced all she could think about was how peaceful Soul looked while he slept.


	2. Chapter 2

As they walked down the street that night, Soul slouching with his hands in his pockets and a partial grin on his face and Maka with her head in the clouds and her hands behind her back, they talked about the positives and negatives that their decision m

The usually peaceful and quiet evenings at Shibusen would not be held for the next several nights. Marie and Stein spent several days discussing possibilities that the parasite might have on the black blood, and once word got around even Shinigami-sama himself showed up for those meetings. Through tests and research, debates and stress the pressure was starting to sink in on them. If they didn't come up with a solution or an explanation quickly, what might happen to Soul? This thought alone was the drive that kept even Spirit working harder then he ever had as the hours ticked away.

Waking up, and feeling like a ton of bricks had fallen on him while he had slept, Soul awoke not his normal soft pillow but the warm leg of his partner. Both still wrapped under the blanket they had shared the previous night, Soul slipped out very cautiously as to not disturb his motionless companion from her slumber. He got up and decided to take a shower, only decided to bestow one last smirk upon his peaceful looking partner. Her head resided on a pillow that was pressed up against the armrest of the couch, her petit body was rolled up into the fetal position under the tan fuzzy cover, her right arm dangled out of it and over the side of the sofa.

In the few seconds he stood there he could feel little things in his body changing, from the pains of his shoulders and the little muscle spasms of his fingers and toes. They wouldn't make a big difference in the long run however, since they were minuet and he could learn to live with them. The only thing he could think about was his partner and how she would feel if she knew she had done something to hurt her weapon and friend. The scar her had, the reason why they went looking for the black blood cure was because he wanted to protect her. But pain filled her eyes every time she saw it. Soul knew she still, and probably always would feel, semi if not entirely responsible to what happened to him as well as her other friends, she was just that kind of a person. That was just one of the many things that stood out and made him like her.

Soul started down the hall toward the bathroom just as Maka had yawned and stretched signally she had finally acknowledged it was yet another day. For some reason her leg was kind of wet so she wiped it off with the blanket that covered her thin frame and then threw said covering over the back of the couch.

With horrible bed head and her light blue slippers she made her way toward the kitchen to prepare breakfast while Soul had occupied the shower. Pancakes and bacon had been her first choice but they were out of batter so she decided to make bacon, eggs and toast with fresh squeezed orange juice instead. She placed four slices of bacon and two eggs into a frying pan and then placed two slices of bread into the toaster. Before she could make it to the fridge Soul had finished his shower and offered to take over so she could get a quick bath.

"That would be greatly appreciated," She said with a smile as she skipped off down the hall. Soul chuckled at the sight of her bed head, something he hadn't seen for a long time, as he searched for the juice maker. Having found it in no time at all, he was determined to have it all ready even before Maka took one step out of the lavatory.

That drive, to always see her happy, made him do thing he would have never dreamed of daring to attempt if she never entered his life. Making her breakfast was no exception. Before he meet her he was cool and didn't wish to spoil it by doing petty tasks. But once they meet, that day at the piano, his whole world changed. He tasted his first soul with her, she made him fall in love with playing the piano when it was but a mere trivial task placed on him by his parents to help "improve his education and expand on his knowledge of the definition of beauty."

While he reminisced he had not been paying attention, that is till a sharp pain shot up his arm causing the juice machine to spill right as Maka walked into the kitchen.

"Are you ok, what happened? I saw you grab your arm, did you burn it or something?" Maka stated with concern in her eyes. She had grabbed his arm as he went to try to stop the appliance from hitting the floor. Now they sat surrounded by marigold liquid on two inches from the others face.

Not wanting to frighten her, he replied with down cast eyes, "yeah, something like that."

Feel that Soul could use a little pick me up after such an event happened so early in the morning. Maka smiled, "Soul, Let's go wherever you want to today, my treat."

In the end they ended up at Soul's favorite restaurant, and by the time they arrived it was lunchtime. Having skipped breakfast both were pretty hungry, so they ordered and as the waiter left so did Maka, her destination being the restroom. Placing his napkin in the front of his shirt he arranged the forks and knife on the right side of his plate, having nothing better to do anyway.

As Maka took her place once more a pain like none Soul had ever felt before ran from his neck down to his toes, and after words his whole body became limp. Being unable to move anything that was below his head, and having the meal show up at the worst possible time, Soul's luck was slowly fading.

"What's wrong? Did the cook mess up your order or something?" Soul simply shook his head. Maka tilted hers, confused at why he was acting so weird that day. "Are you sure you're alright? I mean you've been acting strange all day, did something happen that I'm unaware of?"

Sitting quietly across the table, thinking up every possibility to cover up his inability to control his ligaments, he finally came up with one. "I accidentally fell asleep on the couch last night, and when I woke up this morning I was using your leg as a pillow."

"So that's why my leg was wet, glad I took a shower. Anyway don't worry so much about it. Unless you tried to pull something on me last night, which I doubt since you fell asleep before the movie was over." Maka giggled. Just then Soul's arm finally responded and he began to scarf down the food like there was tomorrow.

Maka's shocked expression was quickly changed into a warm smile. She didn't know that accidentally falling asleep on her would bother him so much. She also didn't except Soul to get over it that fast, maybe her words reached Soul more then she had ever known. That made her grin even bigger for some reason as her cheeks established a light pink blush.

Olive green orbs met those of a deep red that sat directly across their meals, "So what's next?"

"The next step is how to treat it. We know what it is and what it is doing but we have to make sure it continues to do its job or that's that. Also the best thing to do is not rely on it. If even one tiny bit of black blood gets out the parasite will be destroyed. The outcome is grim, we need to find a fast way to treat it." Stein explained to the group while eating dinner in the cafeteria of Shibusen during the fifth night.

"The best thing is to just let the black blood go through, that way he'll go back to the way he was before."

Stein nodded and continued "But that isn't the case. His blood is mostly pure at this point. Only a tiny bit remains, and if that tiny bit kills the parasite his heart will no longer have a partner and will rebel due to the intensity at which it must work to maintain the blood flow in his body. His white blood cells will kill the black blood and he won't have enough blood being produced to survive. We have two options, the first is to keep him on a machine and gradually teach his heart to work on its own. However that will take a while, and I doubt he'll agree. So I propose this…"

"We go to the arcade next. That way I can beat you at that shooting game this time, I was only 100 points behind you last game." Maka eagerly urged. Soul agreed, because what made her happy made him even more so. With a crooked grin on his face, Soul walked beside Maka with his hands in his jacket. She rambled on and on about Kid and Black star, Tsubaki and the Thompson sisters but all that caught his attention was the way she was always cheerful she always seemed to be. He had contemplated telling her about him being unable to move in the restaurant, but decided to let her maintain her merry disposition.

"We're here, so what do you want to do first?"

"First and foremost run one last test on Soul to make sure no black blood is left in his body, then if there isn't we find a way to take the parasite out while tricking the heart into working on its own once again. That may require more sleepless nights, but if you guys aren't willing I'll manage on my own. However if the black blood did get though, I think its best we keep him here. Sorry to make you all do this but can you help me search the town for Soul? I want to get to him before its too late." Marie explained to her fellow companions.

It was now around midnight, Soul and Maka had finally been kicked out of the arcade because Maka was determined to beat Soul so badly she had lost track of the time. As they walked down the street, Soul slouching with his hands in his pockets and a partial grin on his face and Maka with her head in the clouds and her hands behind her back, Soul brought up a question that had been lingering in his mind all day.

"Maka, what if something happened to me? Like the black blood came back? Or we truly succeeded and found the cure for it?"

"Well, the good thing is you wouldn't have that pesky demon bothering you all the time. Although the bad thing is I wouldn't get to hear you play the piano as much as you do with him around." Maka thought about it for a second and continued, "maybe I should buy a piano for our apartment.

Soul shrugged, ever since he had eaten the herb something about this whole ordeal didn't make sense. If witches like Medusa knew about this herb then he was almost positive that someone from Shibusen must have heard of it.

Soul stopped dead in his tracks as they crossed a bridge, he walked over to the railing and leaned over looking out upon the still water, the night starts glowing throughout its surface. In a serious tone Soul finally made his feelings about the situation he was in as clear as he could. "Maka, something doesn't seem right about all this. You know as well as I do that that demon wouldn't leave without having one last trick hidden up his sleeve."

Maka stood there staring at Soul's annoyed yet concerned expression. With cautious slow steps she advanced toward him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. In the small and compassionate tone she looked up into Soul's crimson eyes, "If the worst were to happen, if it makes things any better… I mean if you need some support." She turned in the opposite direction and watched the moonlight dance across the mist of the early morning. "I'll be by your side throughout everything." Maka gave Soul a halfhearted smile that faded as fast as it appeared. "I mean, it was our decision, so we should both suffer together or be happy together." A small blush appeared on her face as he chuckled at a fleeting thought.

Silence was colder then the midnight breeze that swept passed them while they stood facing each other. Both were having thoughts about what they would really do if they royally messed this up. Maka knew that no one would ever be able to replace Soul as her weapon. Knowing that in the future they might be separated by many other factors was one of her greatest fears. As much as she really wanted Soul to become a death scythe, she wasn't sure what would happen to their relationship after that. She'd be happy for Soul, but he might be sent to a different country and She'd end up teaching there at Shibusen, the only time they'd get to see each other was during special circumstances or when Shinigami-sama called him for a report.

Now this, she was the one that didn't want him to leave, but in the end she might have ended up killing him. 'No, I shouldn't think like that. I mean I'm sure the worst that would happen would be some sort of side effect like headaches or indigestion for a few days.' Maka tried to assure herself as she looked over at Soul who was making figure 8's on the railing of the bridge.

He was dazed, he had felt like something was wrong but he couldn't ever put his finger on it. Whatever it was, as long as it didn't hurt his partner he could remain calm. However, he knew that his pain caused Maka a great deal of agony. Her constant concern over him was one of the things he both despised and admired about his partner. Despite this fact he also knew that as her weapon there were times when she'd do something stupid and he'd have to rescue her, which had been proven true over and over. But never for a second would he hesitate. If she was there, he felt he could take on the world.

Just then a pain that was worse then early shot through his heart. Being unable to bear it Soul collapsed just as Stein had the bridge in his view.

"Soul!" Maka screamed in a terrified manor. Stein ran over and grabbed Soul before he hit the wood. "Stein? What's going on? Is Soul alright, he was fine all day, why would he suddenly…?"

Stein looked at Maka with a dead expression that sent chills down her spine, "Tell me anything weird that happened today."

"Well Soul spilt the juice maker, and when we went out to eat he didn't move for about ten minutes, why? Did you find something wrong with him?" Maka was hysterical, all she could think about was how she hadn't realized all day that he was in pain. Maybe he had had other pains this whole time as well. She felt isolated and confused, why hadn't he told her?

"Maka," Stein grabbed her arm, "Calm down, I think its best if you just went home," Just then Marie had walked by with Spirit, they also were looking for Soul. When they saw the three on the bridge they ran over.

"Marie, please accompany Maka back to her apartment." Marie nodded and gently lead Maka by the arm, However Maka never took her eyes off the group of men who now kneeled at the bridge.

"It'll be okay. We know what Soul has, and if we fix it sooner then he'll be back to his normal self in no time. Just put some faith in Stein, he is more reliable then some give him credit for." Marie smiled

They arrived at Maka's apartment and Marie watched Maka enter before she decided to head home. Maka hated being by herself at night. She wondered aimlessly though the house and ended up on Soul's bed. Cuddling his pillow she thought, 'Why, please tell me. What burdens you burdens me. We are a team, there is no I in team. We have to laugh together and cry together, but you never let me in. Your selfish and self-centered, you never consider my feelings. I always have to hear it through others.'

"I don't care, as long as you're alright. Please, you just have to be alright." Maka whispered into his pillow. She didn't want to go to Shibusen looking like she did, a complete mess, so she cried herself to sleep, hugging the pillow that his familiar scent rested upon.

Opening his eyes, the world looked like a black and white movie, and the only words he caught were, "Its too late."


	3. Chapter 3

Opening his eyes, the world looked like a black and white movie, and the only words he caught were, "Its too late."

"His body is rejecting his own blood, it adapted to the black blood so much that, without any kind of help, his heart is refusing to work. When the parasite filtered the blood the heart then became accustomed to it. However a little bit of the black blood survived and killed the parasite. The remaining black blood isn't enough to maintain his body's every day functions."

Soul could hear parts of Stein's prior speech, however the majority of his words never entered Soul's ears. There was a dull ringing that overtook all audible range, and a splitting headache caused by the previously mention. Slowly raising, shaking as he did so, Soul removed the blanket quietly and placed his foot on the cold tile floor of Shibusen only to have his whole body give way and hit the ground hard.

Marie ran over to help Soul back to into his bed as he watched Stein try to say something. Even though the words on Stein's lips Soul could plainly see, he could hear no sound. The world had lost its color and meaning and the one person he wanted to see was no where in sight.

"Soul, how did you and Maka end up…" Stein started toward Soul however was stopped by a gentle press against his chest. Marie looked up into his eyes and smoothly shook her head. Turning away from Stein, she walked over to Soul's bed. With a concerned smile, The blonde woman slid her hand effortlessly across the sheet to Soul's had rested. Soul quickly jerked his hand back before she could place a finger on it. He could only vaguely remember a single event that happened that prior evening. Maka was attempting to reload her gun, but no matter how hard she tried the thing wouldn't budge. She had then began to complain to Soul about it, ever so determined to beat him if even just once. Even though Soul handed over his blue gun for her pathetic broken red one, he still ended up the champion of the dusk.

"Where is Maka?" Soul questioned, pain written throughout his crimson eyes. Marie looked back into those red orbs with confusion.

She stepped over to Stein and whispered something in his ear. "Its worse then we thought. Not only can he not hear us, he can no longer vocally communicate. I had no idea the black blood took control of the operations his organs were suppose to accomplish throughout the day."

Stein quickly grabbed some medical supplies and test tubes. When Stein passed Marie by he concluded, "Neither did I." He then made a movement toward Soul when the door squeaked open.

"Maka!" Soul called out with concern in his voice.

"No need to sound all concerned. I'm sure its something minuet that Stein can fix. Your body might need some time readjusting to the fact you have all your own blood again." Maka smiled, she always seemed to find the bright side of life. She handed Soul a bento filled with his favorite foods and they freely talked amongst themselves, paying no mind to the fact the adults were gathering testing supplies.

Suddenly Maka felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked up into the bright blue eyes of her father. "Its okay Maka, I know your worried because Soul can't hear or speak right now…" Maka's expression changed in a heartbeat from cheerful to confused.

"Soul and I have been talking ever since I got here ten minutes ago while you guys were running around like chickens with their heads cut off."

Spirit wrapped his arms around his daughter, only thinking she was in denial. He gave Maka one last smile and talked over their previous conversation to Stein. Intrigued by this chain of fast moving events Stein took a peak at Soul and Maka's souls. They had been connected since the moment Maka entered the room. It was a natural thing for those two since they had lived and worked together for so long. No longer did they need words, their very souls could do all the talking they would ever need to hear.

Maka suddenly jumped back when she felt a cold presence on her hand, "Maka, I can't hear the others. And every time I try to talk and get their attention they ignore me… or maybe they can't hear me. Maka, I need to know what's going on, have they told you anything about it?"

Maka shook her head and turned toward the small group that mingled in the back corner of the room, "Um, excuse me, if its not too much trouble can we possibly know what's wrong with Soul. I mean this is just temporary symptoms of the herb right?"

"Herb?! So that's how the parasite got in there, it's a common fact from my country that you don't eat it unless you have a death wish." Marie explained as calmly as she could. She looked Maka dead in the eye and asked, "Where did you get the plant from?"

"We, Soul and I, we went to a mountain over…"

"Who told you two about it?" Stein stepped in, placing a hand on Marie's shoulder.

"Crona," Maka began to feel overwhelmed. All she really wanted to know is how bad Soul's condition truly was, at this point in time she truly didn't want to be bombarded with questions.

"Then how did you…"

"STOP," Maka cried out, the stress suddenly fell upon her. This was all her fault and she couldn't even figure out what she had done to her partner.

Suddenly she felt a cold yet gentle pressure on her shoulder. This sent a chill down Maka's spine as she heard a call to her soul that comforted her. "Maka it's alright, calm down. Worrying isn't fixing anything at this point in time, lets just see what they have to say. I want a word for word replay." Soul coolly chimed in, a smirk adorned on his face.

Maka closed her eyes and let out a sigh, this wasn't an easy task that had been placed upon her. She had to be the middleman for both groups, and was already under enough stress with her partner's condition being as it was. The blonde teen opened her eyes directly at Stein, "Tell me everything you can."

* * *

Marie, Stein, Spirit and Shinigami-sama were the only ones left at the academy who dedicated the last several evenings on researching Soul's condition. Stein gathered all the research information they had collected over the last few days and reviewed each one, making sure he had not missed anything. Marie made some tea and gave a cup to everyone before sitting to the left of Stein.

Those first few moments the room felt like death's domain, no words were spoken and the chill in the air ruled over each of them. The only noise was the ominous ticking of the second hand from a single black that hung on the eastern wall.

Stein placed both his glasses and the piles of research information on the table before him and looked directly across at Maka, " As you may have already discovered, no one can communicate with Soul other then you. He is both deaf and mute. This is all we know so far however and we do need to know a few other things before we can determine the real problem. In order for us to obtain said information we will need you to do us all a favor and ask Soul a series of questions such as if he has any other symptoms."

Maka nodded in a dazed state, she still couldn't comprehend what exactly happened. Thinking back to their previous conversation Maka asked with great conviction, "Was this all caused by that herb Crona told us about? Did I do this to him?" Fear filled her eyes as agony and guilt engulfed her heart.

Spirit attempted to hug his daughter to comfort her, however Marie had beaten him to the punch. "Everyone makes mistakes, and since I'm from that region we were able to have Soul survive up to this point. Now if we want him to continue to live we need to know his symptoms so we can find a cure. But don't worry, we will have the best of the best on staff here working around the clock whenever they have a spare second. No one wants to see his or her students this way. And don't concern Soul with the minuet details until we know the full extent of this situation."

Maka was handed some question and then rejoined Soul in his room. She took the empty seat near Soul and began to ask the questions on the paper. Her soul was full of confusion and the dirty blonde felt as if she had too many obligations toward both parties. If she had missed one minor thing her weapon and best friend won't last very long. His condition seemed so grave. His normally warm hand now sent a chill down her spine when she touched it. As this scene unfolded Soul raised an eyebrow at Maka; their souls were slowly losing base with each other. Soul lowered the paper from Maka's vision, as she had been avoiding eye contact with him the entire time she had reentered the room, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what I was asked."

With an unamused look Soul replied, "Maka, if you put too much stress on yourself then our souls won't match up and I won't be able to have any contact with the outside world."

Not realizing that by saying what he had just said added more stress to her and felt another chunk of their souls had been disconnected. He closed his eyes in desperation of an answer. He heard Maka hiccup, and when Soul reopened his eyes tears were streaming down Maka's cheeks. "I'm sorry," she said as she wiped away one of the tears and put the paper back up to hide her wet red face. She got up and started toward the door "I'll just leave for a while till…" a cold pressure was felt on her wrist. She then was pulled into the coldest yet warmest hug she had ever felt. Her face turned even redder as she lay there contemplating exactly what was going on. "Soul?"

"Stop blaming yourself."

With those words Maka struggled to get free but Soul never released his grip on her. "Let me go, please, I did this to you, if you hadn't listened to me you'd still be…"

"This isn't all your fault, it was OUR decision. If you put any more stress on yourself we will never be able to communicate again and that will be your fault, so please just calm down." Soul suddenly felt his shoulder become wet as Maka gasped for breath, sobbing there in his arms.

With a slight grin he wrapped his arms tighter around Maka as she cried herself to sleep whispering, "I don't want to lose you, Soul."


	4. Chapter 4

The night seemed to drag on forever, her warm body so close to his almost lifeless and frozen skin he wondered if he would eventually make her sick as well. His shoulder had been shaking for a few minutes now as the tears hit his cold skin making him shiver. Soul feared that this would wake Maka so he snuggled down under the covers slowly as to not jostle her awake. Through his sleepless evening all he could think about was how much of a burden all this was on Maka, from placing the blame on herself for the herb to having to play messenger for both sides. As he contemplated how to make life a little easier for his meister a door opened and in walked Stein with testing supplies. Soul pretended to sleep as Stein took some blood samples and then left the room.

Soul sighed in relief, he was afraid that Stein would take Maka away. The fact he didn't meant that at least it wasn't a contagious disease. Having someone worry about him when he used to be all alone, thoughts about her consumed his mind. They had been through a lot, and they were always by each other's side no matter under what pretenses. As he thought he slowly brought Maka closer to him, her warmth on both the inside and out had always been a comfort to him in times of torment. 'She may be a little insane sometimes and does things unconventionally but that's what makes her so cool.' Wrapped up in his subconscious mindset, he was at peace and honestly forgot about how much his soul was being plagued. He kissed her forehead and fell asleep basking in the affection she brought into his once lonely life.

The next morning when Soul awoke Maka no longer lay beside him. He sighed, believing it to have only been a dream. A tray of food had been placed beside him, but he hadn't been hungry since he was admitted to the Shibusen infirmary. Soul just rolled back over to feel a warm spot in the same location as Maka had been in his dream. The crimson-eyed teen placed his hand on the spot and fell asleep once again, hoping for a wonderful dream that was like his previous.

Meanwhile, Maka was in the next room over eating breakfast with her father and the other Shibusen faculty. Marie and Stein had left rather late, but did manage to get some well-deserved rest. Shinigami-sama had to leave early due to some disturbances around the globe concerning witches teaming up with Kishin.

"Maka, did you mange to get some sleep?" Marie asked gently but was dying to hear the answers to the questions she had given Maka.

A blush appeared across her face as a smirk joined it, "y-yeah I slept, well, like I've never slept before." She giggled once before chewing on her piece of toast.

"Did you ask Soul those questions we gave you?"

"Yes, but… I wasn't able to get an answer just yet. Please allow me to have one more day." Maka bowed her head, almost smashing it into a plate.

"Maka I'm going to make this clear, if you can't get the answers by tonight then we are going to have to sedate Soul and put him under extreme tests. You have until dinner to get the answers." Stein coldly addressed Maka then he excused himself from the table to prepare for work.

The only place Maka wanted to be now was in Soul's arms, as she was last night. She felt so small. What if she couldn't get him to answer? With determination she once again entered the room and started spouting the questions like she was some kind of robot.

Soul lay there fast asleep, and what's more is he had no interest in the questions, only in the one who, through their souls, could understand. The pain that lingered in her soul bugged Soul to an extreme. "Your still willing to disconnect me from this world aren't you Maka?"

Her sight now fixed on the ground; she sighed, "I'm trying to make you better. Right now that's all that is important. If I can get the answers to these questions then…"

"Then what? I'll be magically healed? Nothing will happen by simply answering those. They'll have research to do on me till the day my heart decides to stop."

"Then what am I suppose to do, I'm just doing what I was told. What do you think would make you better, or what would you do if you were in my position? Please just answer the questions, it won't kill you. But if you don't answer them by tonight then…" Maka caught herself. She didn't want to tell him that he would be under constant testing till he was cured.

"Then what?"

"Your acting like you being sick isn't that big of a deal."

"Well, maybe it isn't, right now all I want is to go home." Soul rolled over so Maka now had a wide view of his back.

The room was silent for a moment, then Maka replied, "then why don't we?"

Soul turned to her; the look on his face read 'are you crazy.' He closed his eyes with a slight grin. "Okay, if I can manage to stand up and walk long enough…" he wobbled out of bed and fell, luckily Maka caught him before he hit the ground.

"If you want to go home so badly I'll grab a wheelchair and take you there. We'll use the back allies so we don't get caught." Maka got up, grabbed a wheelchair, helped Soul into it and disappeared while Stein and the others attended to their daily routines.

The cold winter wind blew past the teens as they raced back to their apartment. The sin just began ascending into the sky into the dark star lit heavens. Both the teachers and other various staff were preoccupied, which meant they were free to run.

Escape felt like the best medicine that he had taken since he was admitted to the infirmary after he passed out on the bridge. For a brief moment Soul could hear the sounds of the street merchants on the other side of the buildings, as well as children laughing and playing. As the sound slowly faded away the last sound he could hear was his favorite sound; Maka had ran behind Soul's wheel chair as the started their decent down a big hill. She jumped on the back of the wheel chair, smiling and giggling as its speed increased and they made a sharp turn toward their apartment complex.

The familiar scent swept over him as Soul entered the home Maka and him had shared for several years. He never thought that he would ever be home sick, but while lying in the hospital bed he yearned to be back where it was just the two of them. He closed his eyes and let the memories flood his mind as he walk over to the couch and plopped down, his arms behind his head.

As this scene unfolded Maka's eyes widened with each step Soul took. When he finally rested comfortable a huge smiled adorned her face, she ran over and hugged Soul, jumping on top of him with extreme delight. "You can walk again!"

Her bright green eyes sparkled before him; it was then that he realized the last remaining symptom had vanished.


	5. Chapter 5

Soul wrapped an arm around Maka. They stayed cuddled on the couch enjoying each other's warmth till a small snore made Maka snap back to reality. She realized her position was quite awkward, however Soul's arm was attached to her hip and he looked so content. For the last few days he had looked like a train ran him over. Feeling relieved that Soul was finally at ease, she gave in, curled up on his chest and fell asleep.

The sight Soul awoke to made him feel he was still dreaming; Maka was drooling on his chest as a small sweet snore escaped from her lips. Not wishing to disturb her, he dug between the couch cushions and pulled out a remote.

As the lights flickered in the background, Soul began to slowly notice his eyes always reverted back to the blond that warmed his chest. With a sigh he turned off the television and just relaxed, his vision never leaving Maka or the ceiling. In truth he knew that she was his medicine. Her bright outlook on life, her smile and the one who asked him to never again be alone; to become her weapon.

Never before that moment, as he played those dark yet touching notes that filled her soul with delight, had he ever considered being used. However, something about her alone caught his attention and made him agree to her terms. It could have been her intellect, number one female student at Shibusen. Or perhaps it was due to the fact she had taken the initiative to engage him in conversation. Her smile or the way she rocked from toe to heel when she tried to play cute and innocent.

Having, once again, been engulfed by his memories, reality set back in as he felt the warmth raise from his chest Soul stared back into the emerald orb. "So your finally awake," Maka sat at the other end of the couch and watch Soul sit up and scratch his head, "now I can go the bathroom." He stretched and walked down the hall.

Maka made her way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, when Soul returned he too pitched in and they got it done in record time. But after dinner they found that they had hit a snag.

Both teens were unmotivated to leave the house for many reasons. Soul's homesickness, they couldn't think of anything outside the house that would entertain them for very long, and the fear that Soul would only get worse if he left the cozy apartment.

They tried video games, a movie, Maka even attempting to read, but nothing that could hold their attention for very long. In the end they were back on the couch, Maka holding a book making it look as if she was busy. She felt if she didn't hold something she'd go crazy, and she needed to glimpse at the words scattered across the page. Maka flipped the page about every minute or so to make Soul believe she was actually reading.

'What am I doing? Is everything really all right if I fear stepping out of the apartment? I no longer have the demon attempting to control me, so why am I just sitting here?' Soul looked to his right to find a radio. Bored out of his skull he clicked it on. A slow sweet tune rang throughout the previously dead apartment.

Maka peeked her head from behind the book and shyly asked Soul, "Do you want to dance?"

Soul sat there for a while, making Maka feel uncomfortable about asking such a question, but then he got up leaned over and offered her his hand. The blonde sat the book on the couch and gently placed her hand in Soul's. As the slow sweet notes filled the room the two teens swayed in their struggle for a legitimate conversation that wouldn't offend the other.

As they struggled for words, across town Stein and Marie were also at a loss, for when they returned to the infirmary they found an empty cold bed and the breakfast still sitting on the nightstand. A million scenarios popped into their imaginations, a witch wanted to research the after effects of the black blood once it was removed for the body. But out of the many creative things, like alien abduction, the one that stood out the most was that the pair had run away. Marie couldn't believe that a levelheaded girl like Maka would allow her partner to do such a dreadful thing in his poor condition. But the fear that he might die in a hospital bed could have caused her to lose her common sense. Another thing Marie picked up on was how close the pair had become over the last several months.

"Do you think they ran away from town or just headed back to their apartment?" Marie looked from the bed over to Stein.

Stein plopped down in his chair and puffed out smoke from his cigarette, "If Maka had any say they are back at the apartment. If she, for what ever reason, couldn't get the answers to the questions and out of fear suggested to leave Soul could have convinced her to go anywhere." He rolled over to the medical cabinet and looked through some files. Marie walked over to look at the file Stein pulled out, what they found on the file was the proof they needed to know where they might have gone if not for the apartment.

"I'll head over to the apartment and see if they," a warm hand was placed on Stein shoulder before he could finished.

"If you go over and criticize them they won't want to return. I'll go over first thing in the morning. Its already pretty late, we both haven't been getting enough sleep recently, so lets just go home and let them enjoy the little time Soul might have left before we break the news to them."

Stein rubbed his head and sighed. He nodded in agreement then crushed the remainder of his cigarette on the ground before they headed out of the infirmary.

Having neither said anything as they danced slowly together for five hours, Maka's head resting against Soul's shoulder, they ended up in Soul's room staring at the ceiling on his bed. The awkwardness between them just increased, however they didn't want to leave the others side, so they lay there as the second hand ticked the night away.

"Soul," Maka finally chimed in about midnight, "are you sure you are alright now? I mean we are the only ones here, and I was the only one you could hear in the hospital anyway," Maka sat up and stared down at Soul's face, "so you'd tell me if you were in pain right?"

Silence, Soul's expression was flat, this made Maka worry and that by simply asking such a question instead of taking him back was foolish. Soul got off the bed and walked over to his dresser. When he turned around again he held in his arms a little stuffed bear.

"When I was younger I always wanted the stupidest things. Things like pop bottles for stacking or used gum under tables to make giant bouncy balls. My mom thought it was weird for even asking for those. So instead that Christmas I got this bear. I was so upset I threw it in my closet and ignored him. That was until my mom got really sick a few months later. I thought that if that was last gift she gave me before she died and I had treated it so badly I would feel awful. Every night she stayed in the hospital the bear stayed on my bed. After my mom got better I thought it was a stupid gift and that I was careless for thinking such childish things? I put it in my top drawer and haven't taken it out since then. The other day I was laying in the hospital and I thought about it. Then I saw that cheap plastic ring I got you out of the 25 cent machine on your finger, and thought you were probably wishing what I had wished. That you'd get see them healthy again, that person special to you. That they way we use to live could be once again without the worries of side effects from the black blood or its cure." Soul walked over and sat on the bed next to Maka.

Her face was a little red as tears trickled down her face. She collapsed on Soul's shoulder; "I just don't want to lose you. I never thought for a second that even though it's cheap that it is worthless. I always liked it because it was the only materiel gift you gave me." The room was filled with the sound of Maka's sobs the rest of the night, fear built back up in her heart, but the second Soul wrapped his arms around her she knew she would be all right as long as he was alive and by her side.

The night was still after the blonde fell asleep from exhaustion. Her soul was filled with the hope that her partner had not been hiding for her sake. Though he could hear her soul silently suffer, he couldn't ease her pain. He could slowly feel his health diminishing with every few minutes that passed. Soul felt Maka's warm breath against his chest. He gently lifted her off the edge of the bed and walked down the hall to her room. Slowly he lowered the light blonde onto her bed, a small moan escaping from her lips, as if complaining about him leaving her side. Her soul agreed with the moan of abandonment. With a slight smile he tucked Maka under the blankets. When he went to turn the light off, Soul felt a tug on his shirt. Unamused by her latest little antic he sighed and placed his hand on Maka's and pulled up Maka's fluffy black chair she used her laptop in. "I'll stay by your side for tonight, but you owe me own Maka."

He felt drowsiness soon claim, followed by a dreamless slumber, their hands still intertwined.

Marie had placed some tea in front of Stein several minutes prior to washing the dishes. However the beaker remained full as Stein shuffled through stacks of papers that had cluttered the room.

"Is there really only two options left to present them with when we meet them tomorrow? Can't we run more tests or…"

Stein shook his head "If there were any other way we would have discovered it by now."

Marie lowered her head and watched the ripples in her tea. She was shaking very subtly, afraid for the side effects both options presented to, not only for Soul but also for his meister.

Stein placed his hand on Marie's, that immediately snapped her back into reality. She looked up in shock, which soon turned to fear. " It's up to those two to decide one of two paths set before them. Although we already know which they will chose so we should set things up so we can begin tomorrow before things get too complicated. Either that or they will have no choice in taking the other road."


	6. Chapter 6

"BZZT"

The doorbell startled the two teens. Someone had approached their apartment, but neither wanted to see anyone that might turn up to collect them. Frozen by fear of the punishment that would come up the steps if they dared let the person or persons in.

"Its Marie, may I come up?" Still silent was the small space the teens occupied. Marie stood outside buzzing in the early morning chill for a good five minutes calling for Soul or Maka to open the door to the apartment. Never the less, she received no reply. With a sigh, Marie turned to leave when she saw Soul's bike park out front. This could only mean that they were here and that they didn't wish to see anyone. She thought this was understandable, so she began to make her way back down the steps when she heard the door release. With a small smirk she scampered over to the door before it shut again.

When she opened the door, Maka sat on the couch with a light green book in her hand. She could hear the shower running in the bathroom and only assumed it was Soul.

Soul felt a pulse of energy surge through his body, he ignored it as stepped into the warm water that seemed to wash away his misery.

"Do you think its wise to leave Soul in there by himself, not that you should be in there too its just…" Marie's face turned bright red as did Maka's but she could cover it with her book. "Is it okay in his current condition?"

Maka then gave Marie a blank look. "Since we entered this house Soul has been just fine. He can speak and even walk. If anything were wrong he would have mentioned it. He'll be okay for now anyway. And if anything were to come up I'd ship him back to Shibusen, I mean you guys said it yourselves, the black blood is gone. It was slowly being destroyed by his white blood cells when we first come back from the mountains so he didn't have time to enjoy himself. Now that it's all gone he doesn't need to worry and his body is no longer in a war. He can finally feel like he is home. And knowing him he'll be so great in a couple weeks he'll be asking to go on a mission for his 100 souls." Maka giggled behind her book.

The pulse then worsened, it as if is stability had been placed upon Marie, while he had normally relied on Maka to give him strength. 'How could I switch from my meister to another weapon?' While he was in deep distress over this he was brought to a place he thought he'd never be in again.

That dark red and black room, the air filled with jazz music and he stood in the middle in his red and black The pale pink action figure that stood at the door is what shocked Soul the most. It walk over to him in its usual fashion, Soul could only assume it was the imp that had plagued him for so long.

"What am I doing here? You are supposed to be long gone, but the worst is having to look at how crappy you've gotten, not that you looked much better before." Soul smirked

"I wouldn't be laughing boy, Without me you would have collapsed by now. Not only that, you almost drained your partner of all her energy you've moved on to that other weapon and she can feel it. I've only come to taunt you one last time before I disappear, An evil wide smile crossed the demon's ugly mug.

"What do you mean I've been draining her of energy? The demon ignored the dazed look on Soul's face and exited the dark room never to return again.

"Well I just dropped by to make sure you guys were doing all right. I see that everything is fine. I assume you two will be at class on Monday, so I'll see you then." Marie smiled, bowed and took her leave.

Maka attempted to return to the book she was previously reading, however her whole world was almost back to normal and even Marie's friendly visit had made the young teen feel better. She couldn't wait till Soul had finished getting ready since he had agreed to a nice breakfast out. The blonde began to hum and tap her foot, her thoughts on what had occurred the last few days when it had just been Soul and herself.

Marie also hummed a happy tune as left the complex. She scurried down the steps and past the two teens apartment building thinks bout how much free time Stein will have now that he doesn't have to worry about Soul.

All of a sudden a loud "thump" could be head from the bathroom. Maka almost jumped out of her skin, she got up, ran to the bathroom and pounded on the door.

"Soul, Soul are you alright in there?" No answer

"Soul," Maka continued to call his name but he never replied. Without thinking she stormed into the bathroom to find Soul's motionless silhouette behind the curtain.

Petrified from fear, Maka could only stare at the shadow pasted against the white that separated them. She took a deep breath and tried to think of how to get him out of there without seeing anything private. Her mind was a blank sheet though, for all she could think of is that she may have killed her partner.

Then a thought shot through her mind, 'what if I can get him conscious long enough to have him turn into his weapon form?' With this goal in mind she closed her eyes tight and placed her left hand over her eyes. With the other she felt around until she had a tight steady grip on the light plastic and without hesitation yanked it back. She continued her search through the air till she felt a solid cold lump under her hand. Her warm hand now placed on his chilly shoulder sent a shock through her body.

When she opened her eyes she found herself in a dark room, her energy slowly began to drain from her body and she started to shiver. Then a cool rough voice rang though the darkness; it made her heart pound like it only had when he called her name. The darkness deafened her and made her doubt the sound that soothed her so. Her energy had been completely depleted and when she felt his cold hand on her shoulder she had succumbed to sleep that washed over her limp soul.

Though from his perspective the room only grew brighter, that is to say all but on corner that had shone the brightest at the beginning but began to dim, and in the middle stood his meister. He lacked the strength to run to her side, her power depleting ever so quickly and the light diffusing with every second that past. All he could do was cal her name, unaware if she could actually hear it. When he made it to her side an immense amount of energy pumped through his veins.

Gasping for breath, the now cold water pelting his back, Soul awake to a warm sensation upon his shoulder. Her motionless body sat against the tub, which made soul embarrassed for a second. Then another thought swept over his mind. 'I did this to her. I took her energy, her strength.' Soul looked away and pounded the wall. 'I'm always making her worry. I bet that if I remove her from my side I'll pass out again. So now what?'

Taking into account that this position was already awkward and he didn't wish to have her awake to this, he placed her hand in his, grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist and gently picked up his meister.

After a few minutes of getting boxers and pajama bottoms on he gave up and decided to just go to bed without a shirt. The time passed by very fast, and his back was so shriveled from being in the shower for such a long period of time that he wanted nothing more then to sleep.

Fearing that he'd lose contact from his partner he snuggled close, wrapping his hands in hers across her stomach. She still wore the same pajamas that she had the previous night. She didn't bother to get dressed for Marie, for she had planned to take a shower after Soul, then go out for the first time they had gotten better. 'Chi… I was never better. I had only been wiping away your energy. You always smiled or blushed, you only acted as you always did. But deep down you were suffering, slowly being depleted of life. Why did it turn out this way?' his grip tightened around her, ' I was suppose to protect you, not hurt you. I truly can't do a thing without you, from fighting to now simply surviving, you sincerely are my strength, and for some reason that doesn't…'

Then, suddenly, a slight whisper could be heard in that tiny black room, no longer could anything be seen, but the simple small voice was enough to calm his restless soul. No louder than snow gently landing on a frosted hilltop when first spoken, but when they reached his core warmed his very essences.

Subconsciously Maka's body curled up next to the first solid object stable enough to support her. In her mind she felt like she had been falling, till something caught her. This unexpected turn of events caused a short but bright light to appear before her, and for a brief second she saw the one to catch her. Her strength faded away as fast as it came and before she slipped back into the darkness those words slipped from her cherry blossom colored lips, "Aishiteru"


	7. Chapter 7

"…Won't…last…night." Was all the blonde could catch as she slowly regained consciousness and opened her eyes to the bright blurry world before her. Maka tried to move her hand to her aching head and found she couldn't, thus experimented and found she couldn't move anything but her eyes so she scanned the room to see Marie rush in grab some medical equipment and dart out again. Unable to move and get her attention aggravated Maka, and when she scanned the room once again Soul was no where to be found.

The green-eyed girl knew only one thing; this was not the place she has fallen asleep in. But she felt that she had seen this place before for when she looked out the window the ground and its contents where covered in stitches. To be placed in Stein's house instead of the school's infirmary was now beginning to stir the young meister's curiosity.

A downcast red head holding a coffee cup entered the room and plopped down on the chair next to her bed. With a sigh he raised his head and she saw him start to part his lips to say something but when his eyes caught hers a huge smile crossed his face and the next thing she felt was her father's arms around her neck and hot coffee on her stomach.

"Maka, papa came to your side and you finally regained consciousness." Spirit danced around the room as he grabbed some paper towels to clean off the coffee the best he could. He waited her normal response of annoyance toward him and when he heard no response he sighed and slouched back down by her side.

This time when he gazed into her eyes the expression was different. It was full of regret and anguish. "Maka, about Soul, he came here about two nights ago. When he arrived he told us that prior that evening he had collapsed and when you touched him he started to steal your strength. By the time he awoke you had already passed out and when you didn't awake after several hours he got concerned and came to the school infirmary. Stein thought that since this case is getting too sever that its better to hide it from the other students until we know the final result of all this."

'Final result of what?' she thought as a new scent filled the room. Cigarette smoke was slowly released from the tall grey haired man that now leaned against the doorframe.

His gazed never left the opposite side of the frame as he began, "Soul's condition is extremely serious. There is only a thirty- percent chance with the best choice that it will succeed." His gaze quickly shifted to the blonde that now lay wide-eyed on the bed across from where he stood. "Maka, its very likely by the end of the night Soul will no longer be alive. We had to get permission from a family member or his consent. Since this is a crucial moment we decided that since you're the closest to him we'd count you as family and see what you think is best for him." With that Stein slowly turned his back to her, "I'll give you till five to come up with your decision." He proceeded down the hall till he was no longer visible to Maka.

'Do what you think is best for him. Just save him, why do you need my permission?' Tears began to swell up in her eyes. Being unable to communicate at the worst possible time, and not being able to save her partner, and putting him in the his current state she couldn't bare this a second longer. Her soul frantically searched for the faintest possibility of reaching him. 'SOUL' she cried 'Where are you?'

She felt a slight pressure on her hand, which sent a chill down her. " We did some research and found two possibilities. But we think that it's best if we use the one with the higher percentage of success. We have to reinstate the black blood, but this time it will be different. Before the black blood was thriving off his normal blood, but with that new virus running around his body we are positive that a tiny bit of black blood wouldn't work. The virus would just kill it, so the only thing we can to is replace all his blood with the black blood. However we aren't sure what the side effects to all this is since soul is a weapon. He might turn into a weapon that has to thrive on his meister's strength like Ragnarok. The other option…" but he stopped when he saw Maka shake her head, a slight smile and tears running down her cheek.

'Soul I finally found you can you hear me?'

'Y…ea…h' he barely managed to connect with Maka's soul with the little strength he had remaining.

'What should I do, they want me to…'

'Just do what you think is best…asking…is… so… uncool.'

'Okay, then just rest.' She let down her resonance and looked up at her father.

"I think its best to at least try and save him. We've lived through the black blood once and I'm sure we can again." 'Even if it is worse then the last time.' Maka sighed as she snuggled underneath her covers. 'Soul, you better not leave me now.'

The next two hours we spent in preparation for Soul's immediate operation. It was extremely risky and even though no one wanted to be the one to have to do it they don't want to lose one of the most valuable teams to Shibusen and everyone was eager to be the one to get a little piece of that heroic pie. Everyone bottled their mixed emotions as they zoomed back and forth as quickly as possibly to make sure that everything they needed was in the room and while all this was happening all Maka could feel was her partner's aura slowly slipping into the abyss of the afterlife. 'Hold on Soul don't leave me yet, you still have so much to look forward to. Becoming a death scythe, saving the world from Kishin, growing up and getting married, Soul don't slip away from this world yet."

Memories raced through her mind of their past and as she felt the last little bit of his strength slip away she heard the heart monitor in the other room buzz that flat note that killed her inside. Maka curled up inside her blankets with her pillow clutched tightly against her chest and cried herself into a coma.


End file.
